Renting Clothes Could be the Future of Fashion — or Can It?

By

-

02/12/2020

Special Features - Renting Clothes article — Traditional retailers can no longer afford to wait on the sidelines to see how the renting business goes. That’s why a growing number of retail businesses are now offering customers the option to rent clothes for a monthly fee instead of buying them.

By: Jane Leascizer

Traditional retailers can no longer afford to wait on the sidelines to see how the renting business goes. That’s why a growing number of retail businesses are now offering customers the option to rent clothes for a monthly fee instead of buying them. Brand-name businesses such as Bloomingdale’s, Banana Republic and Urban Outfitters are the latest to offer these services. Even footwear chain Designer Brands says it’s considering launching a rental service for shoes.

The clothing-rental business is expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2023, according to research firm GlobalData. When combined with resale, it will account for 13% of the total $360 billion U.S. clothing market within the decade, which is up from 7.3% today.

For clothing retailers, rentals are a last-resort option when they are dealing with unsold products that need to be deeply discounted. J.C. Penney and Macy’s, for instance, have partnered with ThredUp to sell gently-worn clothes in a couple dozen locations. Nordstrom is testing resale at its women’s flagship store in Manhattan and online.

Christine Hunsicker, CEO and founder of CaaStle, a startup that manages inventory and shipping for retailers, says rental services have anywhere from a 20% to 25% operating profit compared with only 5% for traditional retailers. In 2019, Hunsicker’s retail clients saw total spending for both renting and buying increase two-fold on average for each customer.

About a dozen retailers, including Banana Republic and Bloomingdale’s, have left it to CaaStle to handle the logistics. But Urban Outfitters lets its shoppers rent their items, taking the hard route of doing it all on its own. “[Retailers] are very used to marketing products, not services, so it’s challenging knowing which customers to message, and how often,” Hunsicker explained.

Despite the effort, customers say that Urban Outfitters is very problematic. Elizabeth Kashin, 53, of Indianapolis, says she tried Urban Outfitter’s Nuuly rental service last month. She never received her package of six items but was charged anyway. After contacting customer service via social media, she got another package but said the clothes didn’t look clean.

Some experts wonder whether it even makes sense for lower-priced clothing chains to get into the rental business since customers could just buy the clothes used or get them at a deep discount.

Another issue is that there are not nearly enough locations to send rental items. An expert named Melissa Gonzalez pitched the idea of having kiosks in popular-city stores, such as Los Angeles or New York, for the shoppers’ convenience.

Nonetheless, retailers continue to follow its lead and hope to end up in a better place.

Chabad on Campus Emissaries Train at Yad Vashem to be Holocaust Educators

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Education - Chabad on Campus article - pic 1 — Some 30 Chabad on Campus emissaries participated in an eight-day training program at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, February 2020. Credit: Yad Vashem.

For students who find it difficult to connect to the Holocaust and its lessons, said Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, who co-directs Chabad at Concordia University in Montreal, “it is important, now more than ever, to have the right narrative.”

By: Eliana Rudee

Some 30 campus Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries concluded an eight-day training program at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, learning cutting-edge, relevant and effective tools that will allow them to teach about the Holocaust and the growing problem of Holocaust denial. Equally important was guidance on how to grapple with and counter increasing instances of anti-Semitism on college campuses. The emissaries hailed from campuses in North America, Australia and Austria, including Dartmouth College in New Hampshire; Princeton University in Jew Jersey; the University of Melbourne in Australia; the Lauder Business School in Vienna; and York University in the United Kingdom.

The newly certified Holocaust educators spent last week training at Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust (Yad Vashem), representing the first time that Yad Vashem has gathered a group of campus leaders for an intensive training.

Rabbi Yisroel Bernath, who co-directs the Chabad center at Concordia University in Montreal with his wife, Sara, called the experience “eye-opening and transformative,” and found meaning in “finding the humanity” within the Holocaust, which he said provides a new way to make sense and connect to tragedy.

For students who find it difficult to connect to the Holocaust and its lessons, he said “it is important, now more than ever, to have the right narrative.”

Through the partnership between Yad Vashem and Chabad on Campus, said Rabbi Moshe Cohn, head of the Jewish World section at Yad Vashem, “thousands and thousands of young people will be exposed to Holocaust education with accurate history and proper pedagogy.” Credit: Yad Vashem.

“There is an unspoken myth that young Jews are interested in the Holocaust,” he told JNS, noting that on his Canadian campus, it was like “pulling teeth” to get students to attend a survivors’ testimony, perhaps because his campus “prides itself on being an activist university where BDS is passed as much as the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem is Jewish.”

Sara Bernath left with the understanding of “how precious our heritage is.”

Dalia Kulek, co-director at the University of Hartford-Rohr Chabad House in Connecticut with her husband, Rabbi Yosef Kulek, told JNS that the entire week was an “aha moment.”

As a non-Ashkenazi Jew (her father is from Kurdistan and her mother is from Mexico), she said she didn’t learn much about the Holocaust growing up. As the number of survivors diminishes, she told JNS that “we need people to tell their story and do something to draw them in.”

“I am already planning classes,” she said.

Through the partnership between Yad Vashem and Chabad on Campus, said Rabbi Moshe Cohn, head of the Jewish World section at Yad Vashem, “thousands and thousands of young people will be exposed to Holocaust education with accurate history and proper pedagogy.”

The “net gain for the Jewish people” will “connect young people to their history and increase involvement with the Jewish community,” Cohn told JNS, voicing his hope that this seminar will be replicated with other campus groups.

‘Integrity, respect and understanding’

According to Rabbi Yossy Gordon, executive vice president of Chabad on Campus International, the importance of such a partnership lies in today’s distancing of young people from the Holocaust, and at the same time, the growing acceptance of anti-Semitism in the world. “If we do nothing, the distant memory of the Holocaust will fade further and so will the opportunity for young people to embrace their Yiddishkeit, which would be a terrible crime,” Gordon told JNS.

With recourses and teaching materials that preserve the memory of those murdered with “integrity, respect and understanding,” the partnership with Yad Vashem, said Gordon, was “the way to go.”

Esti Hecht, co-director of Chabad at American University in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht, said that while “Holocaust education is equally important now as it was before, fewer people are in a position to educate, so educating the educators is more important now.”

On campus, she told JNS, Holocaust education has the potential to build empathy towards the Jewish community and help prevent anti-Semitism.

Hecht reflected on a particularly meaningful moment during the week; after she heard from a Holocaust survivor who was her son’s age during the years of World War II, she video-chatted with one of her sons, who had just received his first chumash (a printed Torah) in a school-wide ceremony.

“I was overwhelmed by the juxtaposition. Here I was with a child survivor who was forced to pretend to be Christian in order to survive—and very few children his age survived,” she said. “The Nazis tried to exterminate the Jewish people with a 90 percent success rate in many countries, but as I saw my child and 30 others in his school with strong Jewish identities, I understood that ultimately, the Nazis failed.”

“I am going home with a greater appreciation of what we have Jewishly,” she continued. “The Nazis took away the gift of marking time, celebrating birthdays, holidays and praying, which takes away the ability to take stock of who you are. Now, we are in a position where we can celebrate.”

“That understanding will be integrated into my work back on campus,” she said, “adding another level of depth and appreciation.”

(JNS.org)

Freedom Center Plans Title VI Suit Against Claremont Colleges for Funding Jew Hatred

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Education - Freedom Center article — In a letter sent to the heads of Pitzer College and Pomona College in Southern California, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, acting with the Dhillon Law Group, put the Claremont Consortium of Colleges on notice that their promotion and funding of anti-Semitic speakers and events is a violation of federal law and will no longer be tolerated. Photo Credit: FrontPageMag

The Colleges violated President Trump’s executive order barring federal funding for anti-Semitic hate

By: Sara Dogan

In a letter sent to the heads of Pitzer College and Pomona College in Southern California, the David Horowitz Freedom Center, acting with the Dhillon Law Group, put the Claremont Consortium of Colleges on notice that their promotion and funding of anti-Semitic speakers and events is a violation of federal law and will no longer be tolerated.

Over the past several years, Pitzer, Pomona, and the other Claremont Colleges have repeatedly funded anti-Semitic rhetoric and displays on campus—largely organized by the Hamas-funded campus hate group Students for Justice in Palestine—which contribute to a hostile environment for Jewish students.

The letter cites Executive Order 13899 which was signed by President Trump on December 11, 2019. The Order directs executive agencies to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against all prohibited forms of discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism just as vigorously as against all other forms of discrimination prohibited by Title VI. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.

This is not the first occasion on which the Freedom Center has challenged the Claremont Colleges over their funding and promotion of Jew hatred. Last fall, the Freedom Center named Pitzer as one of the “Top Ten Colleges that Promote Jew Hatred and Incite Terrorism.” Over a thousand printed newspapers containing the report on the prevalence of anti-Semitism at Pitzer were distributed by the Freedom Center on Pitzer’s campus.

Instant reaction to the newspapers proved that they had hit their mark. The president of Pitzer College, Melvin Oliver, released a public statement labeling the Freedom Center’s newspapers exposing Jew hatred on his campus as “attack speech or hate speech so extreme that it requires our response” and claiming that the report’s allegations were “demonstrably false and intentionally incendiary”—without citing a single example of these alleged falsehoods.

Freedom Center founder David Horowitz responded by thanking President Oliver for his “Orwellian smear against our Freedom Center” and stating that in fact “Hate speech is calling a legitimate, fact-based critique of your support for a Jew-hating terrorist support group like Students for Justice in Palestine hate speech.”

Horowitz concluded his response to Oliver with this thought: “Some of the students participating in this campaign of Jew-hatred are simply ignorant. You don’t have that excuse. You are a disgrace – an all too typical disgrace among your academic colleagues which is why Jew-hatred is rife on our campuses today.” The war of words was covered in the local and national press.

With the delivery of the Freedom Center’s legal missive to Pitzer and the Claremont Colleges last week, these institutions have been put on notice that their funding and support for Jew hatred will no longer be tolerated.

(FrontPageMag)

Millennials Search for Meaning & Authenticity When it Comes to Judaism – Part 2

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Special Features - Millennials Search - PART 2 - PIC 1 — A OneTable Shabbat dinner for young Jewish adults. Photo by Natalie Zigdon Photography

In an era of declining religious observance, studies show that this particular generation is interested in traditions, heritage, one-on-one gatherings and social justice—just not the old-fashioned institutions of their parents or grandparents

By: Deborah Fineblum

(Continued from last week)

Also pioneering meeting this generation of Jews is the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which has long made an art of including Jews of all backgrounds. Specifically, in the last seven years, it’s been drawing millennials to Chabad Young Professionals (CYP) International, which has about 120 couples around the globe serving young Jews with a range of programming, meals, workshops, and Shabbat and holiday celebrations in areas where they tend to live and work.

Barry Shrage, president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston for three decades, now at Brandeis University, 2018. Credit: CJP.

“They went into neighborhoods where few young Jewish adults were engaged and where now there are big vibrant communities of young Jews,” says the network’s director, Rabbi Beryl Frankel. “They’re looking for a sense of community, and also to make friends and meet their significant other, but they have to feel ‘It’s not my parents’ Judaism. It’s my Judaism,’ and based on that, we’ve seen them go from apathy to ‘I love this, I care about this, I want to pass it onto my kids someday.’ ”

One CYP couple is Rabbi Sholom and Mushky Brook, millennials themselves working with their peers in Uptown Minneapolis. “There’s something unique about our generation; we’re empowered to do things independently. We want the full truth, and we want to be part of something bigger,” says the rabbi. “We tell them that labels are for T-shirts, and you don’t have to be ‘religious’ to be 100 percent Jewish, and to be involved in our networking programs, holiday events or social-justice projects, or even just to enjoy my wife’s cooking on Friday night.”

Outreach Efforts by the Three Main Religious Streams

Judaism’s largest movements are also working in creative ways to welcome this new generation.

“With the average age of marriage and having children so much higher than in the past, it’s a nomadic period for many young adults, so we can’t sit around waiting for them to come to us,” says Rabbi Joshua Rabin, senior director of synagogue leadership at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. In an effort to be proactive, synagogues, ¬especially in urban centers, are sponsoring events designed just for them.

“Many of these are a separate brand and hold user-friendly events outside the walls of the synagogue, in private homes or public spaces.” The advantage: By connecting with one aspect of the congregation, they will “always have a place to come back to when they’re ready. We need to understand their desire for meaning and purpose, and give free samples instead of assuming it’s like the old days when first you join a synagogue and then you find out what it has to offer.”

Within the Reform movement, they’ve researched how and why young people engage, identified who’s having success with the age group and “developed a pipeline to engage the disengaged or unaffiliated,” says the Union of Reform Judaism’s director of emerging networks Rabbi Adam B. Grossman. “What we consistently find is that this age group has a lot of positive qualities that are going to reshape the Jewish world today and ultimately tomorrow. And, as the largest and most diverse movement, we’re able to do some incredibly innovative work in our congregations to create a framework for opportunities to connect and grow, and to create meaning for the individual and the community, plus develop the leaders to support that communal growth.”

Birthright participants hike up Masada, Israeli flag in hand. Credit: Birthright Israel.

The Orthodox Union also recently held a conference to explore best practices for engaging young adults, says OU’s director of synagogue and community services Rabbi Adir Posey. “We had lots of millennials and stake-holders sharing wisdom because, even though the Orthodox community has the strong advantage of having the traditional family as a central component, we also need to create best practices that can bridge the gap between traditional organizations and this generation.” On the table were emerging communities, both online and off, and creative ways to meet millennials’ needs within pre-existing communal structures “without having it feel stodgy.” One theme that came across loud and clear: “People become engaged only if and when they feel they actually have an impact.”

Federation Works to Strengthen Identity & Build Relationships

A backbone institution in Jewish life, the federation system has as its primary task to care for the needs of the Jewish community around the world.

But how does such a gigantic enterprise—the Jewish Federations of North America, or JFNA, represents 146 federations and more than 300 Network communities, which raise and distribute more than $3 billion annually, as well as lobbying government agencies for another $10 billion in public funds to support thousands of human-services agencies serving people of all backgrounds—pull a new and often disinterested generation into this work?

Some preliminary answers emerged from a study designed to “get a better understanding of their lifestyle, needs, goals and the role that being Jewish plays in their lives” released by the New York Federation in 2016.

The findings included young adults turning out for programs that “focus on millennials’ life goals in a Jewish context, and in a way that strengthens Jewish identity or builds Jewish relationships.” Examples: a bike ride to raise money for a cause or mentorships or job listings, and “other efforts to help millennials pursue their career goals while building Jewish relationships.”

“What we found was that millennials don’t go to synagogue except when they do, won’t do organized activities except when they do and won’t pay for services except when they do,” notes Hana Gruenberg, managing director of Jewish Life UJA-Federation of New York. Look for different points of entry for different young Jews, she adds: “Some were engaged for social reasons, others for social justice, still others who just want to have big Shabbat dinners at their house.”

Young adults participate in a “Suktoberfest Sukkah Party” with Chabad Young Professionals. Source: Chabad Young Professionals.

Like many federations, New York’s awards grants to such independent millennial-focused initiatives as Moishe House, “giving them both our funding and expertise to help them be even more creative and organized,” says Gruenberg.

But when it comes to “nurturing a sense of responsibility to give back to the Jewish community,” federations are providing opportunities for young professionals to meet with mentors and each other around what philanthropy means to them, Gruenberg adds. “It’s about taking something that already exists and creating ways in for them.”

Indeed, this awareness of the new generation’s singular qualities, coupled with the challenges of reaching them, is resonating throughout the federation system, according to Rebecca Dinar, spokeswoman for JFNA. At the recent FedLab, bringing together 900 lay and professional leaders from across North America, discussions included the importance of social justice and environmental work to this generation, and of “bringing in new voices to help create our community agendas.”

Much of the success of Federation’s work in this space has been driven by “an understanding that young people are powered by involvement in networks and their ability to shape their own Jewish journeys,” she adds. “This has required a shift in the way many of our institutions operate, but we still need the institutions—to influence and drive this new thinking and ensure its continuity over time.”

Creative outside-the-box initiatives like Moishe House, she maintains, “have been able to scale the way they have because of federations’ infrastructure—and funds—working in partnership for a common goal. Now, being touched by these experiences, young Jews can find federations a ladder to engagement and influencing the future.”

Adds Eric Robbins, president and CEO of Atlanta’s Federation, which, like many others, supports OneTable and other programs designed for (and in most cases also by) millennial Jews, “It’s a generation looking for meaning and also a place at the table.”

Still, the cold hard truth is that the American Jewish community is at a crossroads, says Shrage. “We must take advantage of every opportunity to reach out to this generation.”

Rabbi Joshua Rabin, senior director of synagogue leadership at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Credit: Courtesy.

But he stops short of taking millennial studies as gospel. “In my experience, young adults respect adults who actually believe in something and offer compelling beliefs. An older generation that crafts its beliefs based on research of next generation opinions is not worth following.”

And abandoning the traditional synagogue model “would be a huge disservice to God and the Jewish people,” he argues. “Where will they go when they have families and need a shul?”

Indeed, a marriage of the best of the old and the new may be in the Jewish future. “We can learn from them, and they can learn from us,” says Base Hillel’s Leener. “Traditional synagogues and other Jewish organizations were built for a different time and a different culture, but they have so much experience and knowledge we need. If we can respect that, and they are willing to take risks and empower newcomers and not see change as failure, then both sides can shift and we can do amazing things together.”

(JNS.org)

Parshas Yisro–Do You Listen to What You Hear?

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Parsha - Parshas Yisro Do You Listen article — An artist’s rendition of the giving of the Torah by Hashem to the B’nei Yisroel at Har Sinai. Photo Credit: Pinterest

By: Rabbi Osher Jungreis

Incredibly, the portion is entitled “Yitro” rather than “Moses” or “The Ten Commandments”. The reason for this begs an answer. The parsha opens with the simple, but piercing words, “Vayishma Yithro – Yithro heard”. The voice of G-d was audible throughout the universe, but it was only Yithro who heard. It was only Yithro who chose to abandon his prestigious position as a priest of Middian to join the Israelite in the desert. Our sages teach that when the kings of the nations heard the awesome sounds they thought that the world was coming to and end, and so, for a very brief moment, they stopped to listen. But when they realized that what they heard was the voice of G-d calling, they returned to their complacency.

We find this pattern repeated in every generation. In a moment of threatening doom, people stop to listen, but as soon as the danger abates, it`s back to business as usual. Yithro was different. He not only listened, but he absorbed the teaching, took it to heart, and changed his life. Now we can better appreciate why the parsha of the giving of the Torah opens with those monumental words: “Vayishma Yithro”–”Yithro heard.” Before HaShem proclaims His commandments, the art of listening must be mastered. Whether a man succeeds in fulfilling his mission in life will depend upon his ability to attune his ears to the voice of G-d that is constantly calling.

The greatness of Yithro was further evidenced when upon arrival at the desert encampment, he is told about the wondrous events that befell the Jewish people. The Torah relates: “Vayichad Yithro”–”Yithro rejoiced.” Our sages explain that the word “vayichad” is an expression of joy tempered by reservation, for even as Yithro heard the amazing events, he also felt a pang of sadness for his former friends, the Egyptians. And yet he declared “Baruch HaShem”–”Blessed be G-d who saved you from the hands of the Egyptians (Exodus 18:9-10). Our sages teach that Yithro is credited with proclaiming those two majestic words, Baruch HaShem, that have become the hallmark of our people throughout the centuries: “Baruch HaShem”–”Blessed be G-d” has been our response to all the challenges of life — to the joys as well as to the trials.

At first glance, it may be difficult to comprehend why this phrase, Baruch HaShem, should be attributed to Yithro. Surely there were others who blessed G-d before him. After all, did not Moses praise G-d at the crossing of the Red Sea when he composed his glorious song? There is one fine difference however. Moses praised G-d for the miracles that befell his own people, but Yithro thanked G-d for the blessings that befall others.

This concept of being happy for someone else is a goal for which we must strive. When we realize that we can find our own joy in the happiness that is visited upon others, we become elevated spiritual beings. To be sure, this is a difficult concept to accept in our culture which has conditioned us to measure our happiness by that which we acquire for ourselves rather than by that which we give to others. Therefore, we must bear in mind that G-d did not command us to become rich and successful, but He did command us to become giving, generous people, bestowing loving kindness, and to full heartedly proclaim “Baruch HaShem” when we behold the happiness of others.

The Ten Commandments

Every word, every aspect of the Ten Commandments is laden with profound meaning — even the structure speaks. For example, the first commandment, “I am the L-rd thy G-d” is parallel to the sixth–”Thou shalt not kill”, teaching us that when you kill someone, you don`t only kill that person, but you also kill a spark of G-d, for every man was created in His image.

In this same way, there is a direct correlation between the placement of all the commandments on the Tablets. The Ten Commandments are the bedrock of our faith, and therefore, when they are read in the synagogue, it is a tradition for the entire congregation to rise during their recitation.

Interestingly enough, the parsha in which this sacred gift is bestowed upon our people is called Yithro in honor of the father-in-law of Moses, who was a convert to Judaism. One would have imagined that it would have been more appropriate to dedicate the parsha in Moses` name or in honor of the Ten Commandments, but obviously there was something special about Yithro that merited this incredible privilege.

(Hineni.org)

Parshas Yisro–Preparing to Receive The Torah

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Parsha - Parshas Yisro Preparing article — The highlight of this week’s parashah is the Giving of the Torah. In preparation for that event, Moshe was told to fence-off Har Sinai and to command Bnei Yisrael not to approach too closely

By: Shlomo Katz

The highlight of this week’s parashah is the Giving of the Torah. In preparation for that event, Moshe was told to fence-off Har Sinai and to command Bnei Yisrael not to approach too closely. What was this intended to teach?

R’ Moshe Yechiel Halevi Epstein z”l (the Ozhorover Rebbe; 20th century) writes that fencing-off Har Sinai was intended to teach us humility. It teaches one to know his “place,” and to realize that he has not yet begun to “approach” where he should be spiritually.

This knowledge is a prerequisite to receiving the Torah. The Gemara (Shabbat 87a) relates that Moshe delayed the Giving of the Torah for one day of his own da’at. Literally, the Gemara means, “of his own initiative.” However, says R’ Epstein the phrase also can mean, “of his own understanding.” Moshe understood that a prerequisite to receiving the Torah is recognizing that we are not entirely ready to receive it.

Based on the foregoing, R’ Epstein answers a famous question posed by the 17th century work Magen Avraham. Since the Torah was given on the seventh of Sivan, why do we refer to the sixth day of Sivan as “Zman Matan Torateinu” / “The time of the Giving of our Torah”? (This reference is found in the Shavuot prayers.) The reason that the Torah was given on the seventh was because Moshe caused Hashem to delay for one day. However, that delay was itself part of receiving the Torah. (Be’er Moshe)

“And now, if you listen well to Me and observe My covenant, you shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples, for the entire world is Mine.” (19:5)

Rashi z”l comments: “If you will now take it upon yourselves, it will be pleasant to you from now on, for every beginning is difficult.”

R’ Shlomo Wolbe z”l (one of the senior educators and mussar- thinkers in Israel) elaborates: What is the “it” that we are being told to take upon ourselves? It is the idea that studying Torah is not optional; it is something we must do. Entering this world, this mind-set, is indeed difficult, as Rashi says, for we live in a world that surrounds us with imaginary attractions that distract us from engaging in intellectual pursuits. But in the end, it is pleasant.

R’ Wolbe adds: The greatest battle between truth and falsehood takes place the moment one opens a Gemara. Suddenly, a person is bombarded by memories of the past, worries about the future, and petty issues from the present. Man’s difficulty in concentrating on learning is not caused by a lack of ability, but rather by the fact that he is controlled by his imagination. The faster that one can sweep away such thoughts, the greater one’s chances of growing through learning.

On the other hand, one who does dive into the depths of learning and does nullify the distractions that try to stop him, feel the sweetness of Torah. This is what Rashi means: “If you will now take it upon yourselves”-if you will recognize the absolute obligation to study Torah and you will fight against the distractions that try to stop you, then “it-Torah study–will be pleasant to you from now on.”

R’ Wolbe offers some practical advice: Real learning takes place only with a chavruta / study partner. Only with a chavruta does the true meaning of the subject matter under study become revealed. When Torah is studied with a chavruta, the two students sharpen each other, and the Shechinah rests on them.

Of course, studying with a chavruta has its own dangers. On the one hand, there is the temptation to engage in idle conversation with one’s study partner. On the other hand, there is the temptation to show off and to “show-up” one’s chavruta. It is regarding these twin risks that our Sages said, “Torah only exists in one who kills himself over it.” In other words, one must negate his “self” and make the pursuit of truth his only goal.

What makes an ideal chavruta? The only criterion should be the speed at which one grasps the material. As for differences in style, these will actually enhance the relationship, as each study partner will make up for what the other lacks.

(Alei Shur pp.23-25)

“Anochi / I am Hashem, your G-d, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.” (20:2)

R’ Eliyahu Capsali z”l (Crete; 17th century) quotes R’ Eliezer Rokeach z”l (Worms, Germany; 1160-1238) who writes: Why do the Asseret Ha’dibrot begin with “Anochi”? Because Hashem spoke to the Patriarchs using that word. He said to Avraham (Bereishit 15:1), “Anochi / I am a shield for you.” He said to Yitzchak (Bereishit 26:24), “Anochi / I am the G-d of your father Abraham.” Finally, He said to Yaakov (Bereishit 28:15), “Anochi / I am with you.”

What is the significance of this parallelism? R’ Capsali explains: Hashem used the word “Anochi” at the beginning of the Asseret Ha’dibrot to proclaim to the world the greatness of the Patriarchs and that we received the Torah in their merit. All of the wonders associated with the Giving of the Torah-the cadres of malachim that “accompanied” Hashem and the honor that was shown the Jewish People beyond what any nation has ever experienced, all of that was in the merit of and in tribute to the Patriarchs.

(Meah She’arim p.12)

Many commentaries ask: Why did Hashem say, “Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt,” rather than, “Who created heaven and earth”? R’ Moshe Isserles z”l (“Rema”; Cracow, Poland; 1525-1572) answers:

The early commentaries point out that the plagues in Egypt demonstrated three things: that Hashem has the power to do anything He wants, that Hashem watches over and is actively engaged with the world, and that Hashem is the Creator. Thus, writes Rema, the expression, “Who took you out of Egypt,” means exactly the same thing as, “Who created heaven and earth.”

This parallelism is alluded to in the Asseret Ha’dibrot themselves. On the first luchot was inscribed (20:11), “For in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore, Hashem blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.”

(Torah.org)

Tu BiShvat: Israel’s Green Day and The Hydroponics Revolution

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Jewish Features - Tu BiShvat Israel's article — Hydroponic plant cultivation is widely considered more sustainable, than regular farming, it uses up to 90% less water. Photo Credit: livinggreenglobal.com

By: Ariel Natan Pasko

Tu BiShvat (the 15th of Shevat) is the Jewish New Year of the Trees. It’s the date used for calculating the beginning of the agricultural cycle, for the purpose of biblical tithes, and has become Israel’s own Green Day in modern times.

I see green shoots sprouting up, no, not a hint of an upturn in the global economy, but the growth of an environmentally safe, sustainable, organic, Shmittah-friendly hydroponic agricultural revolution is taking place in Israel.

Why Hydroponics?

Hydroponic plant cultivation is widely considered more sustainable, than regular farming, it uses up to 90% less water.

Fed with a nutrient rich solution, hydroponic plants require less energy to break down food. This allows the plant to grow faster and to produce more foliage or fruit. A hydroponic plant has fewer problems with bug infestation, fungus and disease. Grown under the same conditions, a hydroponic plant can grow up to 30-50% faster than a soil plant.

Even with decelerating population growth, its estimated that by 2050, there will be about 9-10 billion people on planet Earth, an increase of as much as 25%. Experts estimate that global agricultural production will have to increase by about 60-70%, from the current levels, in order to feed everyone on the planet.

Commercial farming certainly has increased food production, but with it, comes harmful environmental consequences, and it uses disproportionate amounts of land and water. The use of earth’s natural resources is outpacing the planet’s ability to renew them.

More people in the world today, may have access to food that looks nice, and lasts longer than in the past, but many are unknowingly consuming chemical pesticides embedded within the plants’ cells. Toxic gasses and dust, produced in industrial farming facilities, pose significant health concerns to farm workers and the ecosystem. The research is clear, commercially produced food is less healthy and not sustainable long-term.

The goals, to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, save water, reduce food waste, produce more food locally, and raise awareness of healthier growing practices, demands involving more people in the process of food production and with higher levels of awareness.

We must transition to a more sustainable agriculture. We need an Israeli Green Revolution.

For Israel’s Green Day, I thought it would be nice to take a look at a few of Israel’s agricultural Green Tech revolutionaries, in recent years.

Started in 2009, LivinGreen was established to promote the field of Hydroponics and Aquaponics in Israel and globally. LivinGreen manufactures and markets all their own equipment. In 2015, they established the first commercial urban farm in Israel, on the roof of the Dizengoff shopping center in Tel Aviv.

The “Green in the City” project, started by the Dizengoff Center and LivinGreen, produces lettuce, basil, parsley, spinach, kale, bok choy and more. The fresh produce is then sold to restaurants, shops and private customers in the area. You can visit the farm, as part of an educational tour or course, and learn about urban agriculture, hydroponics and how to apply these growing methods at home.

Then there’s Flux, started in Israel 2014, (R & D is still in Israel), and now based in New York City. They developed what they call a GrowBot, called Eddy. Eddy, built with military-level sensors and image-processing technology, it employs artificial intelligence concepts from the Israeli army, in order to understand the needs of plants. Eddy sits in the growing reservoir, and users can stay updated on their crops’ progress via a mobile app. Data is uploaded to the cloud and the system chooses the correct protocol based on what you’re growing, the hydroponic system you’re using, and your location.

The system is both a diagnostic and an environment controller. When Eddy, floating in the water, senses that something needs adjusting, such as plant food, pH balance, lighting or water temperature, the grower receives a pop-up alert on his or her mobile phone or tablet.

Flux users are able to share ideas and photos with one another, if they choose to, but they’ll constantly be sharing sensor data passively, through the device. Most of the sharing happens automatically, like with Waze (a transportation app). Thus amassing data and creating community.

But by far the most ambitious and potentially revolutionary project isn’t commercial, but educational.

StartUpRoots, started by Robin Katz in 2014, is an Israeli NGO that runs hydroponic farming projects in Israeli schools, a Yeshiva, and a Jewish day school in America.

Their goal is to plant the seeds, of environmental awareness, sustainability, proper nutrition, the entrepreneurial spirit and financial independence, into Israeli youth. They have introduced curricula into schools that teach, a holistic approach to food production, health awareness and is rooted in Jewish tradition.

In the Talmud we find, Rabbi Abba said: You have no greater sign of the revealed redemption, than when produce will grow in abundance in Eretz Yisrael, it indicates that the Messiah will be coming soon. (Sanhedrin 98A).

As is says, “But you, mountains of Israel, you shall give your branches, and yield your fruit to My people of Israel, for they will soon be coming” (Ezekiel 36:8).

We have seen this come true in our time, with the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, and the blossoming of agriculture in Israel. Yet Israel faces the same issues as in other parts of the world, poverty, pesticide use and related health problems, land and water scarcity, and waste disposal.

Robin believes that a school can be a meaningful agent of social change and recognizes the great potential of students to make important contributions. StartUpRoots addresses these Israeli and global problems, and empowers students to become part of a Jewish Green Solution.

StartUpRoots’ curricula, cultivates curiosity and problem solving through experiential learning. These educational experiences are complemented with tangible results, like growing fresh vegetables, for the school cafeteria, or for students to bring home. Students also develop important life skills as they explore hydroponic farming in the context of Judaism, science, nutrition, entrepreneurship and photojournalism curricula.

Robin says that they are constantly developing new systems, both to optimize food production and to promote constant innovation and experimentation in their students. Since StartUpRoots began, they have been able to increase production from 24 plants per meter to more than 124 plants per meter. By increasing output, they are able run projects in the most unlikely of spaces.

StartUpRoots provides an educational platform, to inspire and equip students, to become better educated consumers. It prepares them to tackle the global food crisis. By giving students and teachers the tools to continue developing better answers, they are growing the next generation of Green Tech entrepreneurs, for a better future.

To learn more about the StartUpRoots program and how to bring it to a school near you; to support their mission to teach environmental awareness, advance food justice, entrepreneurship, and to bring the words of the prophets to life, visit their website at: www.startuproots.org.il

Happy Tu BiShvat, Israel’s Green Day!

Ariel Natan Pasko, an independent analyst and consultant, has a Master’s Degree specializing in International Relations, Political Economy & Policy Analysis. His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites and in newspapers. His latest articles can also be read on his archive: The Think Tank by Ariel Natan Pasko.

Kirk Douglas: 7 Jewish Facts

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Kirk Douglas has died at the age of 103. He was one of the last of the stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Here are seven Jewish facts about Douglas and his star-studded career.

By: Dr. Yvette Alt Miller

Jewish Childhood

Kirk Douglas was born with the name Issur Danielovitch. His parents Herschel and Byrna immigrated from Russia to the United States, in part so that Douglas’ father could escape forced servitude in the Czar’s army. The family settled in the small town of Amsterdam in upstate New York, near Albany. Douglas was one of seven children and the only boy, born December 9, 1916. He and his sisters grew up speaking Yiddish at home.

Textile mills were the town’s main employers, but they refused to hire Jews. Douglas’ father worked as a ragman, buying and selling scraps of cloth. “Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest part of town, where all the families were struggling,” Douglas later recalled, “the ragman was on the lowest rung on the ladder… And I was the ragman’s son.”

Despite his family’s poverty, Douglas recalled that they always tried to help those in need. “Sometimes we didn’t have enough to eat, but very often there would be a knock at the door and it would be hobo wanting food, and my mother always gave them something,” he recalled. “My mother said to me, ‘You must take care of other people.’ That stayed with me.”

Douglas picked up spare jobs while he was still in school; he estimated that he probably worked about 40 jobs before going away to college. Anti-Semitism was a constant threat. “Kids on every street corner beat you up,” he remembered. He was so bright that members of Amsterdam’s small and impoverished Jewish community considered pooling their resources to send Douglas to rabbinical school, but Douglas refused. “I wanted to be an actor ever since I was a kid in the second grade” Douglas later explained.

After high school, Douglas hitchhiked to Canton, New York, where he took out a loan to attend St. Lawrence College. Douglas discovered acting in college, working in regional theatre. During the school year, he was a star wrestler – but was rejected by college fraternities because he was Jewish. Douglas eventually became Student Body President, the first time a Jew held that position at Sarah Lawrence College.

Byrna Productions

Douglas soon found fame in Hollywood. His first big break was the 1946 classic The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, in which he played a weakling who witnesses a murder. In his heyday, Douglas appeared in up to three movies a year, often with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

In 1955, he set up his own production company, naming it Byrna Productions after his mother. Byrna Productions produced some of Douglas’ most well-received movies, including Paths of Glory (1957), Spartacus (1960) and Seven Days in May (1964). “When I think of my mother, who couldn’t read or write, a legal peasant from Russia,” Douglas later mused to a Hollywood Reporter journalist before breaking into a grin and sharing a fond memory, “I took her in a limousine to Times Square, and I stopped the car, and I said (gesturing towards a massive billboard above), ‘See Ma? BYRNA PRESENTS THE VIKINGS! And my mother said, ‘America – such a wonderful land!’”

Leading Philanthropist

Douglas and his second wife Anne became one of Hollywood’s leading philanthropic couples, establishing the Douglas Foundation, and donating a total of about $100 million to charitable causes. Beneficiaries include playgrounds in poor areas of Los Angeles and Jerusalem, synagogues, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, which provides visitors to the holy city with educational films about Jews and Judaism.

Embracing Jewish Study

For much of his life, Douglas was not religiously observant. Neither his first wife Diana Dill nor his second wife Anne Buydens were Jewish, and for many years Douglas seemed not to ponder his Jewish identity – though he did always make a point to fast on Yom Kippur each year.

That changed in 1991, when he was seriously injured in a helicopter crash. Two younger men died and Douglas was left with serious back injuries: his spine was compressed three inches in the trauma. As he lay in terrible pain in the hospital, Douglas began to think about what his life was all about. The meaning he was searching for, he thought, seemed to be in Judaism. “I came to believe that I was spared because I had never come to grips with what it means to be Jewish” he later explained.

Jewish Author

In addition to his stellar acting career, Douglas also worked as an author, penning twelve books (one co-authored with his wife Anne), including some on Jewish themes. In 1997, Douglas published The Broken Mirror, a novel about the Holocaust aimed at younger readers. He followed that up in 1999 with Young Heroes of the Bible, which re-tells stories from the Five Books of Moses for children.

Son Rediscovering Jewish Heritage

Kirk Douglas’ son Michael has publicly spoken out about his connection with his Jewish heritage. In 2015, he wrote about a terrible experience his son Dylan had while on vacation in Spain: a fellow hotel guest, spying the Jewish star that Dylan was wearing, started yelling at the boy. Michael confronted the man, pointing out why it was wrong to attack a child sporting a Jewish symbol. “Afterward,” he recalled, “I sat down with my son and said: ‘Dylan, you just had your first taste of anti-Semitism.’”

“With little knowledge of what it means to be a Jew,” Michael wrote about himself when he was a child, “I found myself passionately defending the Jewish people. Now…I have to defend my son. Anti-Semitism, I’ve seen, is like a disease that goes dormant, flaring up with the next political trigger.”

In 2015, Michael Douglas was awarded the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem. Sometimes called the “Jewish Nobel Prize”, the award came with a cash prize, which Michael donated to the Jewish Funders’ Network and to Hillel International, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. As he accepted the award, Michael referred to his father Kirk, then 97, sitting in the audience. Speaking of his love of his Jewish heritage, Michael noted that it “is as deep as my genes” from his beloved father.

After Kirk Douglas’ death was announced on February 5, 2020, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke for many when he said “Israel mourns the loss of Kirk Douglas, a legendary actor, a proud Jew and a great friend of the Jewish state.” The entire Jewish world mourns Douglas, a talented actor who wasn’t afraid to begin exploring what it meant to be Jewish, even later on in life.

(Aish.com)

Using Exposure Therapy To Help Overcome Your Phobias

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Health - Using Exposure Therapy article -pic 2 — Whether you suffer from a fear of spiders, heights, or almost anything else, exposure therapy can help you to overcome it. Photo Credit: Getty Images

How facing your fears can make life more livable

By: Vanessa Caceres – for The Well by Northwell

You are standing at the top of your basement steps, frozen with fear. You need to do a load of laundry, but your body has stopped you dead in your tracks—an involuntary response to the threat you can sense lurking below. What you can’t see—but your mind is convinced exists—is the spider, with razor-sharp fangs and unsettling alien-like eyes, just waiting to pounce the moment you descend the stairs.

In reality, the tiny house spider in your basement is no real threat to anyone except the other insects in your home, but good luck convincing someone with severe arachnophobia of that.

Whether you suffer from a fear of spiders, heights, or almost anything else, exposure therapy can help you to overcome it. In this form of cognitive behavior therapy, trained therapists teach you to face your fear gradually. The ultimate goal is to get you past your phobia. While you may never have a pet tarantula, you can learn to coexist with the creepy crawlers in our world so it doesn’t stand in the way of living a full life.

Here’s what you need to know about this decades-old science-backed method:

You’ll walk before you run

Don’t worry that you’ll be forced to pet a dog or stand near the edge of a cliff on day one. “We put you in contact with the scary thing in a gradual way,” says Nicholas Forand, PhD, ABPP, and associate professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Often, people start by simply looking at pictures or videos of what they fear. “Then you move toward scarier things,” Forand says.

Usually toward the end of your sessions, you’ll have actual contact with the thing that scares you. One key difference: While in the real world your gut might urge you to run—during exposure therapy you’re coached to stay. “If you’re avoiding it or running away, you never get to learn if it’s really dangerous,” Forand says. Ideally, this gradual approach helps to change your perspective. The idea is that by confronting what frightens you, you’ll learn it’s not as scary as you think.

Patients are typically given “homework” to further their exposure between sessions. For example, someone with a fear of flying may watch videos of air travel or practice packing a bag as if they’re going to fly somewhere. They may actually go to the airport without boarding a flight. Someone with a fear of heights may be asked go to the second floor of the mall and lean over the balcony. Therapists and patients work together to personalize the treatment in a way that is effective for the person’s specific fear.

It’s just as effective as medications—sometimes even more

While it’s not 100% effective, exposure therapy for phobias has been shown to be successful 70% to 90% of the time for those who complete the treatment, says Forand.

Typically, this therapy runs 10 to 12 sessions, depending on the exact phobia and the severity of it. (In a small number of cases, people may require “booster” sessions for reoccurring phobias.)

Exposure therapy has also proven to be an effective treatment for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and panic disorders. However, treatment plans for these patients will differ from those of

phobia sufferers. For these conditions, the success of exposure therapy is on par with taking antidepressant medications, which have been shown to be about 40% to 60% effective.

Virtual reality and guided imagery may be included in your treatment plan

Sometimes therapists will use tools like virtual reality to get patients past their fears. This may happen when it’s not always possible to get real-world exposure to a specific thing that scares them—for example, if you have a phobia of seagulls but don’t live near a beach. Mitchell L. Schare, PhD, ABPP, professor and director of the Phobia and Trauma Clinic at Hofstra University, has even gone so far as to use a VR airport and airplane to help those with fears of flying.

Vivid guided imagery—which involves the use of words to evoke imaginary scenarios—is another tool that helps people kick their fears. In one instance, Schare led a patient through a detailed exercise that involved visualizing birds pecking away at someone walking through Central Park. This technique helped to show his patient that their fear was not reflective of reality. By the end of her treatment, Schare says, this woman was able to feed 40 to 50 seagulls at the beach without fear.

Is exposure therapy right for you?

Exposure therapy can make a difference for everyone from teens to adults who have lifelong fears. And while some people worry that this method will induce more anxiety, Forand says that’s not entirely true. “Anxiety and fear are normal emotions,” says Forand, adding that the fear that occurs during treatment happens in a supervised setting with the aim of helping the person overcome their phobia. Instead, by realizing that we don’t always have to run from our fears, we can learn to live with that discomfort.

That said, if you have heart, nervous system, or blood pressure problems, you should check with your doctor before starting exposure therapy.

Forand also recommends doing your research online in advance, as it can be difficult to find a licensed therapist who has been properly trained in and uses the technique. If you do find someone in your area, ask how frequently they use the technique with patients. Trust your gut feeling about the provider—it’s important to feel comfortable enough with a potential therapist to form a trusting relationship as you undergo exposure therapy.

“The idea that you should confront your fears is a powerful one,” says Forand. “By learning how to live with and overcome what you once feared, you come out feeling empowered.” And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll be able to confidently glide down those basement steps—because laundry is scary enough without worrying about spiders.

(Visit The Well at TheWell.Northwell.edu for more stories on how to take the best care of YOU.)

Northwell First in the US to Pilot Black Boxes in Hospital ORs

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Health - Northwell First article — Dr. Louis Kavoussi, chair of urology at Northwell Health, has been using Black Box technology during surgical procedures at LIJ Medical Center.

Technology allows surgical data to be analyzed for quality care review

By: Andrea Mineo

To advance quality outcomes for both patients and clinical staff, Northwell Health has started using black box technology in its operating rooms (OR) – the first US health system to use this technology. The initiative is currently being piloted with laparoscopic urologic and colon surgical teams at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center, where two dedicated ORs have been fitted with equipment to capture information during surgeries.

Much like flight data recorders used in aviation, the OR Black Box® captures video and audio of the operative procedure, along with physiological data from the patient and the anesthesia monitor. Data is also captured using various sensors that are placed throughout the OR. The data then gets synchronized and reconstructed for quality care review and improvement. The OR Black Box does not capture any personal health information about the patient or images. The initiative is confidential and non-punitive.

“I think it is very innovative for Northwell to be the first health system in the United States to use this technology,” said Mark Jarrett, MD senior vice president and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “The OR is the one place that nobody has ever really studied well. Yet, we know that surgical cases can be very complex and risky. The OR Black Boxes enables surgical teams to learn, minimize risk and improve care. It is a proactive approach to improving safety and replicating favorable practices. The data collected is all secure, and the names of the patients, surgeons and all the individual cases are not identified, so everybody’s privacy is protected.”

Dr. Kavoussi, LIJ Medical Center pilot new review process

Louis Kavoussi, MD, chair of urology at Northwell Health, was the first surgeon to use the OR Black Box. “I think this technology is important because it begins to dissect out potential issues that can adversely affect patient outcomes in the operating room — and the operating room itself has been a black box,” Dr. Kavoussi said. “This is an opportunity to start analyzing what happens in the operating room to see if there are ways of improving patient outcomes further.”

OR Black Black Box® technology was created by the Canada-based firm Surgical Safety Technologies in 2014. Surgeons there and in Europe have been using it over the past five years.

“I’m absolutely convinced that this will change the way we practice surgery and bring a level of openness, transparency and accountability,” said Teodor Grantcharov, MD, director of the International Center for Surgical Safety in Toronto, and the inventor of OR Black Box. “No one would question the value and the impact the black box has made in the aviation industry.”

From a personal standpoint, he added, “This technology has made me a better surgeon. When I was a resident, I used to look at my own surgeries on VHS tapes and I realized there were so many things that I could have done better. That’s when I realized that we need a better system of providing feedback that could help us critically reflect on our performance. Because this is the only way we can improve.”

Northwell Health is preparing to expand the technology to ORs at other hospitals across the health system.

Hundreds Suspected, 12 Confirmed: How CDC Identified U.S. Coronavirus Cases

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Coronavirus positive — In a report released Friday, federal public health officials outline how they screened about 650 people in the United States for the new Chinese coronavirus since the outbreak began late last year. Photo Credit: Getty Images

By: Dennis Thompson

In a report released Friday, federal public health officials outline how they screened about 650 people in the United States for the new Chinese coronavirus since the outbreak began late last year.

About 30 doctors and nurses with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responded to inquiries about those individuals and recommended further testing for 256 across 34 different U.S. jurisdictions.

Out of all those suspect cases, only 11 were found to be infected with the coronavirus, the team said in the report. And just two of those cases involved person-to-person transmission.

A 12th coronavirus patient has since been identified in Wisconsin.

“While the chance of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus still exists in the U.S., the likelihood of sustained transmission remains low,” said Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He wasn’t part of the team involved with the CDC report.

“It’s still possible that we will see additional cases of coronavirus scattered throughout the U.S.,” Glatter added. But, “with proper identification and isolation of persons at risk of exposure and infection with coronavirus, along with timely contact tracing, we can effectively reduce the chance of spread of the virus in the community,” he said.

As of Friday, the United States had chartered five planes to evacuate more than 840 Americans from Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. The Americans have been or will be quarantined at four military bases for 14 days while they are monitored for symptoms of coronavirus infection, CDC officials said late Thursday.

The coronavirus outbreak started in Wuhan, China, in late December 2019, with a cluster of cases in which people had fallen gravely ill with pneumonia, the CDC report said.

Coronavirus cases worldwide now have surpassed 31,000, and the death toll in China has hit 636, according to The New York Times.

The CDC report said that, by Jan. 31, the CDC had received clinical inquiries from public health officials and health care providers regarding 650 people suspected of being infected with the coronavirus.

The CDC team winnowed those inquiries down to 256 people with symptoms who needed further testing, of whom 210 were actually tested, the report said.

Among those tested, 178 were found through health care settings, 26 through contact tracing of confirmed infected people, and six through airport screening, the report said.

All those tested had some symptoms associated with coronavirus, including 143 with a fever and 189 with a cough or shortness of breath. There were 42 people who required hospitalization, and four were admitted to an intensive care unit.

No one in the United States has died from coronavirus infection, the CDC said. The agency received one inquiry regarding a person who’d died, but they were found to not have been infected with coronavirus.

Travel-related risks were identified for 148 of the people, while 42 had close contact with infected persons, 18 had both travel- and contact-related risks, and two were tested for possible contact.

The report was published in the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

(HealthDay News)

New ExpressCare Clinic Opens at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Health - New ExpressCare article — NYC Health + Hospitals recently announced the opening of an ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. The clinic will be the public health system’s first location in Manhattan, building on the system’s vision to transform care for New Yorkers in all five boroughs

ExpressCare will provide patients with fast access to walk-in, urgent care seven days a week

Edited by: TJVNews.com

NYC Health + Hospitals recently announced the opening of an ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. The clinic will be the public health system’s first location in Manhattan, building on the system’s vision to transform care for New Yorkers in all five boroughs. Providing faster access to medical care for patients with non-life-threatening conditions, the new clinic will be open seven days a week operating from 6pm to midnight on weekdays, and from 10am to midnight on weekends and holidays. The clinic will offer walk-in services for conditions — such as colds, flu, sprains, skin rashes, minor cuts and lacerations, and certain types of infections. Patients who typically use the emergency department for these conditions will find shorter wait times and faster service at the ExpressCare clinic.

NYC Council Member Diana Ayala helped to secure $1.6M in mayoral funds for the construction of the new urgent care center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. In the meantime, the ExpressCare clinic will temporarily share space with the hospital’s Geriatric Outpatient Services until the new, permanent space is built.

“We are excited to add a new health care option for the community we serve in East Harlem and upper Manhattan,” said Alina Moran, CEO, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. “ExpressCare will help reduce wait times in our emergency department and provide immediate medical attention for patients in need of urgent care. The new service expands our ability to connect patients to high-quality care when they need it.”

“The new ExpressCare Clinic at Metropolitan Hospital will help ensure patients are receiving high-quality medical care promptly and close to home,” said Council Member Diana Ayala. “I am proud to have worked with the Mayor’s Office to secure additional funding for the clinic’s future space, and in the interim, I look forward to welcoming this vital resource to the community.”

Shifting patients with non-life-threatening conditions to the ExpressCare clinic will shorten their wait times. The clinic will also differ from stand-alone urgent care centers by offering a closer connection to primary care providers. The emergency-trained physicians at the ExpressCare clinic will help ensure patients receive the appropriate follow-up care by connecting them with primary care doctors in the NYC Health + Hospitals system.

Patients visiting the ExpressCare at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan who are assessed as having serious medical conditions that cannot be treated in an urgent care setting or who may require hospital admission will be fast-tracked to the Emergency Department for further treatment.

NYC Health + Hospitals worked with OneCity Health, the State’s largest Performing Provider System, part of the Medicaid Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, to create the clinical model for the ExpressCare clinics, which are designed to support the DSRIP goal to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent by 2020.

“Metropolitan Hospital provides excellent care to our community. It is exciting that they will now be able to expand their care with their new ExpressCare Clinic,” said Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez. “Thank you to NYC Health + Hospitals and Metropolitan Hospital for their commitment to high quality care.”

“Time is vital to New Yorkers—and the ExpressCare clinic will be a game-changer for countless time-strapped Manhattanites,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “I’m thrilled to see NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan embracing new models of healthcare to better serve our communities.”

“I want to congratulate NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan on the opening of their new ExpressCare Clinic, which will serve countless Manhattanites with effective, fast walk-in medical services, while alleviating crowding at some of our most important emergency rooms. I look forward to working with NYC Health + Hospitals to continue the expansion of new and accessible outpatient community facilities,” said Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Hospitals.

“A huge part of being healthy is having access to healthcare. The opening of this new ExpressCare Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is a huge win for our community, said Council Member Ben Kallos. “We all get sick and need to be able to walk into a clinic and get the help we need, easily and quickly. This clinic will fulfill a need in the community making residents safer and healthier. Thank you to Council Member Diana Ayala for her work to get this funding and commitment to making our communities healthier.”

ExpressCare clinics will accept most insurance plans; walk-ins are welcome and no appointments are necessary. Patients should bring photo identification and an insurance card to the clinic. Patients without insurance will be directed to the health system’s reduced fee-scale payment program or receive assistance with insurance enrollment if eligible.

NYC Health + Hospitals plans to expand the ExpressCare model to other public health system facilities in the coming months. Thus far, ExpressCare locations include NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, NYC Health + Hospitals/ Lincoln, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens.

To get more information on ExpressCare or or to make an appointment with a primary care physician or other specialists at NYC Health + Hospitals, please call 1-844-NYC-4NYC (1-844-692-4692).

About NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan

NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is the community hospital of choice for residents of East Harlem, northern Manhattan, and neighboring communities. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan provides culturally sensitive primary and specialized medical care to patients of all ages regardless of national origin, immigration status, or ability to pay. Since its founding in 1875, the hospital has been affiliated with New York Medical College, representing the oldest partnership between a hospital and a private medical school in the United States. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is a part of the NYC Health + Hospitals public health care system. For more information, please visit nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan.

Israel’s 1st Pro-Cycling Team to Pilot Local Health Tech Ahead of Tour de France Race

By

Sholom Schreirber

-

02/12/2020

0

Health - Israel's 1st article - pic 1 — The Israel Start-Up Nation team will compete in the Tour de France next year. Photo: Noa Arnon

By: NoCamels Staff

A number of Israeli startups, primarily in the health field, presented their technology and innovations to senior management representatives of the Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN) professional cycling team which is set to compete for the very first time in the Tour De France as a new entrant in the World Tour this year.

The cycling team will work alongside some of the startups on pilot projects, to merge their relevant technology with the team’s objectives, according to Start-Up Nation Central (SNC), the Israeli non-profit organization that tracks the local innovation ecosystem. The technologies are meant to help the cyclists better prepare, monitor and optimize performance based on advanced innovations that can track training load, nutrition, and sleep, among other factors.

Physimax presents at SNC. Photo: Achikam Ben Yosef for Start-Up Nation Central

The presentations took place this week at the Tel Aviv offices of SNC, which had a hand in helping to set up the team with the Israel Cycling Academy. The organization also lent its name to the team as a nod to Israel’s earned reputation as the country with the most startups per capita in the world. The establishment of the team, owned by Israeli-Canadian philanthropist Sylvan Adams and Israeli businessman Ron Baron, was first announced last month.

SNC said that a specialized team from its organization studied the needs of the riders and coaches before filtering the Israeli startups that could deliver innovative solutions for the team.

“We joined the team’s training and met with the team’s professional managers to see and understand what technological solutions could bring value to the cyclists and the coaching team. After a thorough overview of the field, we introduced them to eight Israeli startups, which is just the beginning of the process. We hope to see some of the technologies integrated into the team’s platform and hopefully they will help the team produce results,” said Talia Shekel, Strategic Partnerships Manager at SNC, in a statement.

The 2020 Tour De France season will be the first time an Israeli team will compete in cycling’s most prestigious race which is also the world’s third most-watched sports event after the Summer Olympic Games and the World Cup. SNC said it presented an excellent opportunity to present Israeli innovation to the billions who watch the race all over the world.

The team will carry 30 riders from 16 different nationalities, including four Israelis: Itamar Einhorn, Omer Goldstein, Guy Niv, and Guy Sagiv. Some of the sport’s most experienced riders including Andre Greipel, a professional road cyclist from Germany, Dan Martin, a two-time Tour de France stage winner from Ireland, and Dani Navarro, a pro cyclist from Spain, are also on the team.

In total, eight Israeli startups presented their solutions. These included Physimax Technologies which built a platform to help track and improve musculoskeletal wellness and performance through data-driven analysis; Zone7 which helps analyze data from wearables and video, track medical condition and performance, and forecast injuries; Nutricco, a nutritional guidance system that helps users track, calculate and manage their daily nutritional balance; and Sleeprate, a tracker app that combines sleep monitoring, assessment, and therapy.

ISN Performance Director Paulo Saldanha who is in charge of maximizing the capabilities of the team’s cyclists said the presentations were “very impressive.

“This exposure to the startup high-tech ecosystem allows us to filter relevant companies and to apply the technology with some of the best athletes. This is a win-win scenario whereby the start-ups improve their products, and our team increases its opportunity to perform to the highest level,” he added.

Kjell Carlstrom, Team ISN Manager said that the “first round of introduction to startup companies at the SNC premises was a real success. It was great for us to listen to the innovative technologies and services that the companies presented. We are sure that both ISN and the startup companies can benefit greatly from this partnership and these encounters.”

ISN co-owner Sylvan Adams also expressed his satisfaction with the results of the presentations.

“Israel has the largest number of startups per capita of any country in the world, so it is entirely fitting that our principal sponsor is Start-Up Nation Central,” Adams said.

“This will give our Israel Start-Up Nation team access to cutting-edge technologies, a secret weapon of sorts as we embark on our first season in the World Tour. We recently had several emerging sports technology companies present their products to ISN, and that’s just the beginning of this exciting collaboration,” he added.

Adams is a cycling enthusiast who played a major role in helping to build the Middle East’s first indoor velodrome in Tel Aviv and bringing the Giro d’Italia to Israel last year where the multiple-stage bicycle race from Italy kicked off its “Big Start” in Jerusalem. Baron is the co-founder of the Israeli Cycling Academy, established in 2014 in Jerusalem as Israel’s first professional cycling team, with a vision to bring young cyclists “to the highest level of the sport.”

(NoCamels.com)

Gantz Pulls Out from Knesset Discussion on Gazan Terror Threat

By

Administrator

-

02/11/2020

0

Israel - Gantz Pulls Out article — . Photo by Kobi Richter/TPS on 10 February, 2020

Gantz Pulls Out from Knesset Discussion on Gazan Terror Threat

By: Aryeh Savir

Member of Knesset (MK) Benny Gantz and members of his Blue and White party stormed out of the Knesset Plenum during a debate about the terrorism threat coming from the Gaza Strip, eliciting accusations that he was a “coward” who fled the scene.

The Knesset plenum convened on Monday for a special discussion on the “incessant terrorism from the Gaza Strip” following the request of more than 25 Knesset members, during which members of the Blue and White party departed the Knesset plenum before the government had a chance to responds to their accusations.

Before leaving the plenum Gantz asserted that rocket sirens in the south do “not really move [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” and that the residents of the south “are just boring him.”

“Anyone with his head in head understands that Netanyahu is busy with himself and not the citizens of Israel,” Gantz claimed.

He concluded by declaring that because the overwhelming majority of Knesset Members disrespected the meeting by not attending, he would do the same with his faction members.

Immediately at the conclusion of his remarks, Gantz left the plenum, followed by Knesset members from the Opposition.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, who got up to respond on the government’s behalf, declared it is “just unbelievable, I have never seen such a thing, show a minimum of courage” he told Gantz and Moshe Ya’alon while accusing them of “fleeing the plenum.”

He accused them of being “the architects of the failure” in the fight on the terror tunnels from Gaza to Israel. Gantz served as IDF chief of staff and Ya’alon was minister of defense when the threat surfaced and when Israel contended with it during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.

“You did not know for 50 days how to handle the tunnels [during the operation], so you will handle the [threat of terror] balloons? People who failed to stop 4,594 rockets on Israel’s residents, dare preach how to handle balloons?” Bennet demanded.

Bennett further charged Ya’alon and Gantz, of “hesitating, stuttering, being embarrassed and scared” when facing the threats coming from Gaza during the operation.

He concluded by reading parts of the State Comptroller’s report which quoted passages from cabinet meetings during Operation Protective Edge in which Gantz and Ya’alon underestimated the threat of terror tunnels, while Bennett himself was the one who pushed for the operation. (TPS)

“Parasite” Steals Best Movie at Oscars; No Shortage of Hollywood Snarkiness

By

Administrator

-

02/11/2020

0

FOR E-MAIL BLAST - PARASITE STEALS article — “Parasite” stole the Best Picture Oscar. Hollywood liberals love to give awards to movies by and about minorities, and this one was Korean. Snubbed were much better movies such as Joker, 1917 and the mysteriously not even nominated Avengers: Endgame. Photo Credit: YouTube

By Howard M. Riell

Hollywood is many things, including snarky. And there was no shortage of snark at this year’s Oscars.

Among the major snubs, as chronicled by the New York Post (https://nypost.com/2020/02/10/oscars-2020-biggest-snubs-and-surprises/):

* Parasite stole the Best Picture Oscar. Hollywood liberals love to give awards to movies by and about minorities, and this one was Korean. Snubbed were much better movies such as Joker, 1917 and the mysteriously not even nominated Avengers: Endgame.

* 1917 and its director came home with gold from the Golden Globes, Producers Guild and Directors Guild. They also scored lots of money, raking in almost $300 million to date worldwide. But the Oscar voters snubbed it, despite its previous glory. Oh, well.

* The Irishman. The assumed blockbuster starring Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino was supposed to be an instant classic. Instead, it got nothing from the Academy. Perhaps director Martin Scorsese should have concentrated on making his own effort better rather than slamming uber-popular Marvel movie franchises.

* Netflix took it in the chops. The streaming service had two movies nominated for Best Picture – The Irishman and Marriage Story – as well as various nominations for The Two Popes. It went away empty handed.

* The Farewell and Uncut Gems didn’t even merit nominations, which had some crying foul. “Uncut Gems has become one of the best reviewed and most commercially successful indies of 2019 (the film has managed to break the $40 million mark at the U.S. box office), but the Academy still overlooked it in favor of the season’s more dominant contenders like “The Irishman” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” noted indiewire.com. “Perhaps the film’s Christmas release date came too late, given the shorter awards season with the Oscar date so much earlier in 2020. Regardless, “Uncut Gems” star Adam Sandler should’ve been a Best Actor threat (he won the National Board of Review prize) and the Safdie Brothers should have found themselves in the running for Best Director (which they won from the New York Film Critics Circle) and Best Screenplay (which they won from the National Board of Review).”

Rolling Stone was of the same opinion. “What does Adam Sandler have to do to get a nomination? The man gave what was arguably the best performance of his career in Josh and Benny Safdies’ anxiety-inducing drama about a jeweler unable to see past (or outrun) his own personal flaws. A walking ball of tension, Sandler perfectly riffs on his screen personality of the bumbling buffoon; no other actor could have played this walking, talking, sweating, kvetching antihero in precisely the same way.”

Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 1,000; Mobile Tech Does Tracking

By

Administrator

-

02/11/2020

0

FOR E-MAIL BLAST - CORONAVIRUS 1000 article — The coronavirus death toll in China has hit an unhappy milestone, topping 1,000 after the center of the outbreak, Hubei province, reported another 103 deaths Monday.

Edited by: TJVNews.com

The coronavirus death toll in China has hit an unhappy milestone, topping 1,000 after the center of the outbreak, Hubei province, reported another 103 deaths Monday.

Chinese officials say there are now nearly 43,000 confirmed cases across the country, and 1,016 deaths.
President Xi Jinping visited coronavirus patients at a Beijing hospital Monday and called for “more decisive measures” to contain the outbreak, Chinese state television reports
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday the spread of coronavirus between people who had no history of travel to China could be “the spark that becomes a bigger fire.”

“In recent days, we have seen some concerning instances of onward transmission from people with no travel history to China,” he said, citing new cases in Britain and France.

Britain declared the virus a “serious and imminent threat” to public health after reporting four new cases Monday, bringing the number of confirmed British cases to eight. Health Minister Matt Hancock’s declaration gives the government more power to isolate people to keep the virus from spreading.

The center of the outbreak is China’s Hubei province, where millions of people remain under lockdown and complaints of food shortages are rising.

China’s central bank is making $43 billion available to help businesses involved in fighting the epidemic.
The death toll from the coronavirus is higher than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2002-03, which is believed to have killed 774 people and sickened nearly 8,100 in China and Hong Kong.
President Trump said Monday he expects the coronavirus outbreak to disappear in April because of the warmer weather. “The heat, generally speaking, kills this kind of virus,” he said.

Health experts say the spread may ease in warm weather when people get out of doors and are not in such close contact with each other. But this is a new strain of coronavirus and some of the experts believe it is too soon to say if spring and summer will kill it off.
Using geotagged tweets, researchers were able to predict, within a few kilometers, where the first coronavirus case in the United Kingdom would appear.

“When we saw the map for the first time, I can tell you that we were kind of shocked,” Donal Bisanzio, senior epidemiologist at RTI International and co-author of the study, said.

The research is preliminary, and other experts have not yet reviewed it for accuracy. But it’s one example of how public health experts are using tracking data from mobile phones to respond to outbreaks like the coronavirus spreading from Wuhan, China.
Experts say privacy concerns are likely to take a back seat to public health when facing a virus that has sickened more than 40,000 people and killed more than 1,000.

When authorities want to know where a contagious disease will go, they need to know where people go.
Mobile phone data offer an unprecedented view, Andy Tatem, a University of Southampton demographer and epidemiologist, said.
“To have such geographical scale and such detailed time resolution, we’ve never been able to do that before until mobile phone data sets came along,” he said.

RTI’s Bisanzio and colleagues had collected a tranche of geotagged tweets from 2013 to 2015 for another project. When the coronavirus outbreak hit, he said, “We just thought, maybe we can use this. Even if we don’t have a lot of people, let’s try. Let’s see if we have something or not.”

They identified about 160 users who tweeted first from Wuhan and then from another city. Most traveled within China. But five of those who left the country turned up in the U.K., suggesting that the country is a fairly popular destination for travelers from Wuhan. (VOA News)

The Jewish Voice

The Jewish Voice

The Jewish Voice

The Jewish Voice

Renting Clothes Could be the Future of Fashion — or Can It?

Chabad on Campus Emissaries Train at Yad Vashem to be Holocaust Educators

Freedom Center Plans Title VI Suit Against Claremont Colleges for Funding Jew Hatred

Millennials Search for Meaning & Authenticity When it Comes to Judaism – Part 2

Parshas Yisro–Do You Listen to What You Hear?

Parshas Yisro–Preparing to Receive The Torah

Tu BiShvat: Israel’s Green Day and The Hydroponics Revolution

Kirk Douglas: 7 Jewish Facts

Using Exposure Therapy To Help Overcome Your Phobias

Northwell First in the US to Pilot Black Boxes in Hospital ORs

Hundreds Suspected, 12 Confirmed: How CDC Identified U.S. Coronavirus Cases

New ExpressCare Clinic Opens at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan

Israel’s 1st Pro-Cycling Team to Pilot Local Health Tech Ahead of Tour de France Race

Gantz Pulls Out from Knesset Discussion on Gazan Terror Threat

“Parasite” Steals Best Movie at Oscars; No Shortage of Hollywood Snarkiness

Coronavirus Death Toll Tops 1,000; Mobile Tech Does Tracking

About Us

Popular Category

Editor Picks

Judge Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Criminal Contempt for Gag Order Violations, Threatens Jail Time

Columbia University to Expel Pro-Palestinian Protesters Occupying Hamilton Hall, School Under Lockdown